Rufus Wainwright is known for his lush, theatrical Baroque Pop. He came from a musical family. His parents (Kate McGarrigle & Loudon Wainwright III) were folk singers. His sister, Martha Wainwright, and half sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, are also musicians. He is openly gay, which is reflected in his music. His voice is very hard to describe. See for yourself.

Discography:

Rufus Wainwright (1998)

Poses (2001)

Want One (2003)

Want Two (2004)

Release the Stars (2007)

Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall (2007)

Milwaukee at Last!!! (2009)

All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu (2010)

Out of the Game (2012)

Provides the following tropes:

Which becomes even funnier (or disturbing) when you remember the song was actually written by his father Loudon.

Adorkable - Oh boy, is he. He's an avid opera and literature fan and has even written his own opera entirely in French, and has a tendency to run his hand through his hair during live performances, rendering it more and more foofy as the show progresses, but it just makes him look even more adorable.

This version also contains a hilarious story about when Rufus actually met Leonard Cohen. I'm not going to explain it, just watch it.

Creator Breakdown – Rufus recorded All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu while his mother was dying of cancer. His previous albums, known for lush full orchestrations, are not anywhere near as depressing as this. All it is is Rufus singing with piano, nothing more.

Likewise, he struggled with a drug addiction in the early 2000s, and even temporarily lost his sight before he checked himself into rehab.

Has Two Daddies: "Montauk" addressed to his daughter Vivanote whose mother is Lorca Cohen, Leonard Cohen's daughter talks about how one day she will visit "your dad" (presumably Rufus himself) and "your other dad" (presumably Jorn).

Heavy Mithril - "Between My Legs," written as a "fantasy about being able to save your object of desire when the apocalypse comes, and bring him to some sort of hidden paradise."

The video for "April Fools" has Rufus try to save the opera heroines Cho-Cho-San ("Madame Butterfly"), Carmen ("Carmen"), Mimi ("La Bohème"), Tosca ("Tosca") and Gilda ("Rigoletto") from their tragic deaths. He fails, but they get better.

He also mentions these characters by name in the song "Damned Ladies."

Also, "Going to a Town" is him saying how disappointed he is in the United States under the Bush administration.

"The meaning is very plain, mainly that I'm having problems with the United States at the moment, as we all are. We all love America, I think everybody does in a certain way. But we have to admit that there's just been too many mistakes made in the recent past over too many issues, and we've just got to deal with that fact."

Unholy Matrimony - Suggested by the lyrics of "The Consort", where they plan to "wreak havoc on the throne" and do terrible things to their enemies.

Vocal Evolution - 21-year-old Rufus' voice, as heard on his demo tape, is much higher and more nasally than how he sounded even on his debut album released only three years later. In his own words, "like a little old man."

"Well Done, Son!" Guy - Rufus has some well publicized issues with his father, though they appear to have become more amicable in the last few years. "Dinner At Eight" in particular is about a dinner he had with his father and a disagreement they had while on a shoot for Rolling Stone magazine.

"Do I Disappoint You" is not actually addressed to his father (we think) but has the same sort of theme, although the song is ultimately about firing back and defending your own frailties.

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